Surge in stalking and sexual offences as West Midlands sees country's biggest crime increase

The latest official statistics show crime recorded by West Midlands Police shot up by 32 per cent in the year to December 2021.

There were 347,135 crimes recorded by West Midlands Police in the year to December 2021.

Stalking and harassment crimes increased by 67 per cent, after 59,829 crimes were recorded, while violence against the person surged by 41 per cent to 157,489 offences.

Sexual offences also increased by 40 per cent, possession of weapon offences rose by 70 per cent and criminal damage and arson by 54 per cent.

There was an 11 per cent rise in robberies and 49 per cent for public order offences, but burglary fell by three per cent and residential burglary by four per cent.

In Staffordshire, total recorded crime fell by five per cent, with 70,883 offences recorded for the year ending December 2021.

However, there was a 17 per cent rise in theft from person offences and a six per cent rise in both stalking and harassment and sexual offences.

Across the West Midlands region as a whole, crime rose by 19 per cent in 2021, compared to 2020.

The number of sex crimes logged by police in England and Wales has hit another record and there were "substantial increases" as lockdown restrictions eased, the figures show.

Police-recorded sexual offences reached their highest level in a 12-month period (183,587) in the year to December 2021.

This was a 22 per cent increase on 2020 (150,748) and up 13 per cent from 2019 (163,067).

Numbers of crimes recorded were lower during lockdowns but there have been "substantial increases since April 2021", according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Some 37 per cent of sexual offences recorded (67,125) were rapes - a 21 per cent rise from 55,592 in the 12 months to December 2020.

The ONS said the latest statistics may reflect a "number of factors", including the "impact of high-profile incidents, media coverage and campaigns on people's willingness to report incidents to the police, as well as a potential increase in the number of victims".

It comes as separate figures showed the proportion of suspects being taken to court has fallen to a new record low and remains the lowest for rape cases.

While total police-recorded crime saw the "lowest number of offences in the first quarter of the year (January-March 2021)", during lockdown, from April "recorded crime returned to the levels seen before the pandemic", according to the ONS report.

It added: "Since restrictions were lifted following the third national lockdown in early 2021, police-recorded crime data show indications that certain offence types are returning to or exceeding the levels seen before the pandemic.

"While violence and sexual offences recorded by the police have exceeded pre-pandemic levels, theft offences and robbery remain at a lower level despite increases over the last nine months."